Il Volo Prep Christmas EP, Talk Girls, Pitbull & Celine Dion

It's been a happy year for Il Volo with the release of their self-titled debut album. Now the teen vocal trio from Italy wants to make it a happy holiday season, too.

The troupe will start with a Christmas EP it recorded during July with producers Humberto Gatica and Tony Renis. It will be released on Nov. 21, in a repackaged version of the "Il Volo" album internationally, and as a digital EP in the U.S, and will feature the group's renditions of "Silent Night," "Panis Angelicus," "The Christmas Song" with "American Idol" contestant Pia Toscano and a medley of "Jingle Bell Rock," "Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow" and "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year."

21 Under 21: Il Volo

"It's so strange in July, recording Christmas songs," Piero Barone, the group's 18-year-old Spinto tenor tells Billboard.com. "We're in the studio with the air conditioning going singing 'Jingle bells, jingle bell, jingle bell rock...' It's pretty funny."

Also on tap for Il Volo's holiday season is a PBS concert special that the group will film on Oct. 27 at the Detroit Opera House. It will premiere for Detroit PBS affiliate WTVS' local pledge drive in December and then roll out nationally in March.

Meanwhile, Barone and his group mates -- baritone Gianluca Ginoble and Lyric tenor Ignazio Boschetto -- are enjoying the warm reception for their album, which debuted in the Top 10 in the U.S. and seven other countries and at No. 1 on the Billboard Classical Albums chart. The Spanish version of "Il Volvo" also topped the Latin Pop chart. "We do think it's going very well," Barone says. "If you come to our concert you can find old people, people over 30 years old, and the young generation.

"And the girls, there are so many -- a lot of girls. It's a surprise because when we started this, we thought our music would be liked by people (who were) 30, 40 years old. We never believed that the younger generation would like it.

"But the young girls like our music. They're crazy for this kind of music. And we like that, because we want to bring our music, a piece of Italy and ourself, all over the world -- this is our goal."

Il Volo has not started planning its second album yet, but Barone says the group does have some thoughts about collaborators. "I would like to sing with Pitbull or Ne-Yo," he notes, "but our dream is to sing with Celine Dion. We met her at the 'We Are the World' for Haiti (recording session) and she was lovely. She was wonderful. We spoke to her, and she told us, 'Guys, be careful, and study, study, study and don't forget to be always humble.' She would be our dream to sing with."

Source: Billboard

Vote for Il Volo

If you're an Il Volo fan (which I am guessing you are), please VOTE for the boys! They deserve to win the Latin Grammys. We all know they do, so let's vote for them and have our friends vote for them! :)

Vote for them HERE for "Best Pop Album by a Duo or Group with Vocals"

AND

Vote for them HERE for "Best New Artist"!

Personally, I think the boys have more of a chance of winning the Best New Artist, so if you're going to vote for just one, vote for them in the Best New Artist category. PLEASE! For Il Volo!

The Latin Grammys will take place November 10 in Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. You will be able to see it live on Univision Network from 8:00 PM-11:00 PM ET/PT. You will also be able to hear it on Univision Radio and online at www.latingrammy.com and www.latingrammy.univision.com  

Italian singing trio Il Volo taking flight in the U.S.

When Il Volo appeared on "American Idol," it was easy to dismiss the three fresh-faced Italian teenagers as another Jonas Brothers. That is, however, until they began to sing.

The voices that came out of the operatic trio were a sure sign that record executives had found something special.

" 'American Idol' was the biggest experience that we did," said Il Volo's Piero Barone in sketchy English via telephone from New York City. "The biggest. I consider it the biggest."

After that, everything changed, said 18-year-old Barone.

"After 'American Idol,' we have so many fans," the bespectacled teen said. "So many fans. Young fans. You can see the teenagers screaming."

And they have seen "all things."

In May 2009, Barone and fellow singers Ignazio Boschetto, 17, and Gianluca Ginoble, 16, appeared on the popular Italian talent show "Ti Lascio Una Canzone" and dazzled TV viewers with their flawless rendition of the Neapolitan standard "O Sole Mio."

Preview • What: Il Volo • When: 4 p.m. Sunday • Where: Fox Theatre, 2211 Woodward Ave., Detroit • Tickets: $25, $45 and $75 • Info: ticketmaster.com or 800-745-3000

The boys decided their group needed a name. "Il Volo," meaning "flight," was chosen to signify the feeling that these three young tenors were about to spread their wings and fly. It wasn't long before Il Volo's manager Michele Torpedine landed a worldwide recording contract for the trio with Universal Music Group which released their self-titled debut album in Italy in November 2010.

In less than three months, with no radio or video airplay, no single sales and only a few television performances, it was certified platinum.

Il Volo became the first Italian artists to sign with Geffen Records, a subsidiary of Interscope Records, in the United States. They are labelmates to Lady Gaga and Eminem, among others. Barone explained he was thrilled to meet his fellow artists.

"We met them," he said. "They are lovely. When you speak with them, they are like normal friends. Before you meet them, you think, 'Oh my God, I can speak with him. I can speak with her.' When you start to speak, it's like normal friends."

Il Volo is inching its way toward success. Its single, "O Solo Mio," has been seen by more than one million fans on YouTube. Its self-titled debut, which is a mix of reimagined classics and original material produced by the multi Grammy Award-winning Humberto Gatica and the world-renowned Italian singer/producer Tony Renis, is heading toward platinum status in the United States. The boys even appeared on the series finale of the HBO show "Entourage."

They are bringing their show to the stage now, appearing at the Fox Theatre in Detroit for an early show at 4 p.m. Sunday.

"We do a lot of things -- and funny things. You can find a love moment, a romantic moment, moment that you can cry, a moment when you can laugh. You can do everything. If you come to our concert, you see the people laugh, cry and fall in love."

Source: Michigan Live

Il Volo Interview with EQ

Can we let you in on a secret?  EQ is secretly fans of Il Volo!  Yes, it's true.

Ever since seeing the Italian teen sensations on American Idol last year, we have fell charmed to their powerful world-class voices and their amazing ability to literally STUN everyone who watches them perform.  We recently went to Il Volo's private showcase in London and watched the lads sing to about 100 journalists and let me tell you - it was one of the coolest events we've been to in a long time.  These boys are super special and no matter what type of music you enjoy - one has to appreciate the sheer talent and musicality that Il Volo radiate.

We caught up with Piero Barone, Gianluca Ginoble, & Ignazio Boschetto aka Il Voloafter their London showcase for a chat about life on the road, being compared to The Jonas Brothers and their highlighsts of this year - we hope you enjoy it.  Thanks to the boys too for giving EQ a little video shout out as well!

EQ: Hello guys, how are you? 

A: Hi, fine thanks!

EQ: How long have you been in London? Have you flown in recently?

P: Three days.

EQ: Three days. How are you finding it? 

P: Yes - we are now we’re going to New York to start our American tour.

EQ: Oh really? Cool. How are you finding London?P: We love London. I: It’s one of my favourite cities.

P: This is the second time that we come here in the UK, in London. And for the first time this time I saw, I visited Buckingham Palace.

EQ: You were in London to record your album weren’t you?

I: Yeah, in Abbey Road.

EQ: What was that like?I: We recorded our voices for the album in Rome, the harmonies in Los Angeles

P: Between Rome and Los Angeles, and the orchestra in Abbey Road.

EQ: Wow. Now you’re from Italy of course, maybe for our English readers you could explain your name: what Il Volo means, why you chose it?

P: So we chose this name because, you know, ‘Il Volo’ means ‘the flight’, and because when we sing the music makes us fly!

EQ: So you guys met on an Italian TV programme. Can you explain a bit about the programme and what the experience was like?

I: Yeah, so this programme was a programme for young [people], from eight years old until sixteen or seventeen. And we met there; we didn’t know each other before this programme. And the producer of the programme decided to put our voices together. From there was born Il Volo, and our first song was “O Sole Mio”, and we sang that on American Idol.

EQ: American Idol must have been a big thing for you to do, for you to go on American Idol. You must have been nervous? 

P: Yes, it’s normal, we were a little bit nervous, but the reaction with the people was incredible. But the most beautiful emotion was the day after; someone came at the hotel and told us 30 million people watched American Idol.

  

EQ: I think the first thing people are gonna think when they hear you sing is ‘How do three young guys like you...’

I: Yeah, it’s really great because at first this is new - because [it’s] the first time that three teenagers, of sixteen, seventeen, eighteen years old, sing this kind of music.

EQ: So did you have professional training? How did you get to be so good?

P: No, we never started training before. We started training one-and-a-half years ago.

EQ: OK. 

I: With the same teacher.

EQ: So you started out three years ago - what has changed for you since then?I: It’s changed everything.

P: It changed after American Idol.

EQ: Now you’ve been likened to a lot of people; a lot of people say you’re a mix between the Three Tenors and the Jonas Brothers - it’s quite a big combination. Who would you like to be compared to? 

P: I would like to be compared to Il Volo!

EQ: Now you’ve already got plenty of fans - including some celebrity fans I’d noticed. So what kind of people do you think will enjoy listening to your music?P: So we thought before that the people... before the release that people over thirty years old like our kind of music, but now [there’s a] mixture of the young generation, and the girls! It’s incredible.

I: Now we have fans from two years old to sixty, seventy, eighty!

EQ: So do you think you can tap into success amongst young people in a way that other bands haven’t? 

I: This is our goal: to bring our kind of music, our feeling, our emotion through the music, to the people, the young generation.

EQ: And in 2010 you sang on the American charity single for the Haiti earthquake... You must have met some amazing people there?P: Yes, we met eighty stars all over the world: Celine Dion, Barbara Streisand, Lionel Richie... Everybody was there! I: Enrique Iglesias!P: Black Eyed Peas...

I: Akon, Usher! [laughs]

EQ: Where did you record that single?

P: In Los Angeles.

EQ: What would you say has been the highlight of what you’ve done so far, the best thing you’ve done?P: I think American Idol.

I: Entourage!

EQ: Oh yeah - you were on the series finale of Entourage! Now obviously you’re quite young, so what do your families think about having achieved so much success so early?

I: Our families always believe in us. They’ve always believed in us and we have to say ‘thanks’ to them, because they always support us, because they helped us follow our dream.

EQ: Did they expect you to become singers?

P: Yes, we always dreamed to be singers but not at this age.

EQ: I don’t imagine you get many days off, but what do you like to do when you’re not flying all over the world?I: So my hobby is everything about flight... Aeroplanes, helicopters... Everything.P: I love cars, you know, sport cars. More horsepower!

G: Football, soccer!

EQ: Do you have much free time?A: No! 

I: Everybody in the family, you know, the father says ‘This year, we are... going to have holidays in Paris, Barcelona...’ But when we have holidays we go home!

EQ: So do you spend most of your time in Italy? 

P: No, we spend it around the world.

EQ: What would be your dream? What do you want to do next? 

I: Now we have to nominations at the Latin Grammys - we hope to win - crossed fingers! We hope to have a nomination at the American Grammys.

EQ: I’m sure you’ll get that. And if you weren’t doing this every day, what do you think you’d be doing?

P: I’d like to be a piano teacher.

EQ: So when you’re doing all this travelling, who do you travel with? Do your family come with you? I: Yes. Piero travels alone...P: Because now I am over age. But for the American tour, for the European tour, for the first tour, it was too difficult so I needed my dad because he helps me. I: And we [Gianluca and I] travel with... Me, me and my mother now. 

P: And Gianluca with his father.

EQ: And do feel a lot of pressure from either your family, maybe other people who expect you to work hard and do well? 

P: No, no, absolutely not.

EQ: Now you already mentioned your American tour, what do you have planned for then, where will you be performing?I: First we’re going to release our Christmas album. P: It’s an EP, four songs. P: And now we’re gonna start our American tour. I: From the east coast to the west coast! The Bahamas, Miami, Los Angeles, everywhere...

P: Washington, New York...

EQ: You’re here in the UK to promote your debut album which is out next month. Can you tell us a bit about that and what we can expect?

I: We know that the UK is the second country - there is a big market. We hope to sell many copies here, to bring our tradition here.

EQ: So which songs are on the album?

I: There are three languages: Spanish, English and Italian. You can find pop and classic songs. It includes three new songs: one Spanish and two in English.

EQ: How does it work, trying to combine the genres of pop music and opera? P: The music is pop lyric.I: Operatic pop.

P: It’s a mix of pop and classic.

EQ: Is that something you think is new to you? Do you have a new way of doing things?I: I think that everyone’s seen the kind of music that we like, you know? P: We like to do this and we love to do this. Our grandfather introduced us to this kind of music. The first time that I heard this kind of music I fell in love. 

I: We love it.

EQ: And will you get a chance to perform in the UK soon?I: This afternoon we’re going to perform on the Alan Titchmarsh show! 

M: That’s big. You’ll like him!

Source: EQ Music Blog

What does Il Volo look for in Girls?

The interview is from 4:20-10:40

Thanks to iheartilvolo's tumblr for translating the important stuff!

Ignazio describes Gianluca - He is stubborn and fastidious (picky, demanding)

Gianluca describes Piero - Piero is very… when we are together he always does his part, a little more serious, a little more… lets just say that he is always a little serious. 

Piero describes Ignazio - Ignazio is the one that is more playful but when he is needed he is serious

Piero - We thought that this cd would please… our genre of music would only be liked by people over 30 years old. But now we realise that the girls, the young generation, love this kind of music. 

Gianluca - But I believe that if the young kids, regardless of the genre of music, see that it is sung by kids, they will like it too. Because it is a new thing, a novelty. Three boys who sing this genre of music and it is the first time.

Piero - Our Ipods have all kinds of music. We listen from Elvis Presley to Lady Gaga because Ignazio always says if you like music, then you like all types of music. So we always listen to jazz, blues, rock, opera. I listen to opera….all kinds of music. 

Gianluca - Yes but one of my favourite singer is Michael Buble. I always listened to Andrea Bocelli and Frank Sinatra. But we are young, so we also listen to Lady Gaga like Piero said. One of my favourite bands are Maroon 5. 

Ignazio - I, on the contrary, listened to our style of music, but lately I have also played rock music, ADCD, Aerosmith, this kind of music. 

How many times have they sung O Sole Mio?

Piero - 30, 40

Gianluca - No, no, 200, 300. It’s different.

Piero - I dont know

Ignazio - But we recorded a Christmas album in August.

Gianluca - July

Ignazio - Yes, July, August…. In mid-August and mid-Summer singing ‘Jingle Bell Rock’ 

Talking about Football

Gianluca - I am a big fan of Roma. Yes. My favourite player is Francesco Totti. 

Ignazio - I was born in Bologna and I live in Sicily, so I should cheer for Bologna or Polermo but I cheer for Juventus. 

Piero - Milan, power Milan! Always. 

What do they look for in a girl?

Piero - She should be simple, understanding, and beautiful.

Gianluca - Beautiful in character, and I am a very romantic type, I fall in love, then… *laughs

Ignazio - As for me, I don’t care if she is pretty or ugly. The important thing is that she has a heart and wants to give it to me. 

If they are coming to Brazil in 2012

Gianluca - We want to come soon

Ignazio - Our fans on Facebook and our website ilvolomusic.com tell us ‘Come to Brazil’ and we want to go. Especially during the carnival. 

Gianluca - Look, see what is over there.

Noo! Stop it! it is a surprise!

(Hahaha look at Gianluca! TOO CUTE!!!)

Ignazio’s giftThis is a 14 Bis. I don’t know if you know but Saint Dumont was Brazilian and he was the first to fly. This is for you to assemble.

Gianluca - Grimm brothers of Brazil

Piero’s giftIt has the whole story, too much.

Piero - Did you know there is music of Lucio Dalla that is called Aryton in tribute to Senna?

Gianluca - Lucio Dalla is a great singer. 

Ignazio - The first time he sang the song, he began to cry. He was the best.

Gianluca’s gift Gianluca - Wow! That’s too much! Thankyou!

So Young!

Then...

Now...

And...

Should I feel like <3 or </3?

Christmas Peek

From Miami, here is Gianluca!

Il Volo Featured on The Guardian

Il Volo may look like a boy band, but they have become a pop-opera phenomenon

Italy's Teenage Three Tenors Take America By Storm

By Tom Kington

He has managed Mick Jagger and AC/DC, but when Steve Leber saw teenage girls screaming as three Italian boys hit their operatic high notes, he knew he was looking at something really new.

"After seeing a million groups I never saw young guys hit notes like that. It was like a great riff, like a rock band exploding," he said. "It was as good as when I first saw the Rolling Stones."

Piero Barone, 17, Ignazio Boschetto, 17, and Gianluca Ginoble, 16, make up Il Volo, a group that has fused Justin Bieber's teen appeal with the soaring voices of the Three Tenors and is set for release in the UK after wowing America and racking up 600,000 sales worldwide in five months.

The group's breakthrough came as guests on America's Pop Idol in May, where their freshened up, Latin flavoured version of O Sole Mio stunned the crowd, drew applause from a beaming Jennifer Lopez and got them bookings to sing their mix of pop-opera love songs on talk shows across the US.

At first sight, they look every inch the boy band. Barone is serious with spiky hair and glasses, Boschetto is smiley and plump, while Ginoble has the brooding stare of a matinee idol.

They love Lady Gaga, interrupt each other jokingly in broken English during interviews, fight over pizza slices on the tour bus and cite Maroon 5 as one of their favourite acts, alongside Michael Bublé and Andrea Bocelli.

But comparisons with boy bands stop when they start singing, according to their Italian manager, Michele Torpedine. "They are a phenomenon, a force of nature," he said.

"We are halfway between the Three Tenors and the Jonas Brothers, but no 16-year-olds have ever sung like us before," says Boschetto. And few performers singing opera have incited pubescent girls to shriek, "I love you!"

After learning the basics from their grandparents and honing their skills at music festivals in local piazzas – Barone and Boschetto in Sicily, Ginoble in Abruzzo — they made it separately on to Italy's version ofPop Idol in 2009, where an enterprising producer made them belt out O Sole Mio as a group. Torpedine was watching the show alongside Tony Renis, a veteran crooner who penned the syrupy classic Quando Quando Quando in 1962 and gained notoriety for hanging around with mobsters.

"We took a clip of the boys to Geffen records in the US where they went mad," recalls Torpedine. Renis quickly set to work on the boys' album with producer Humberto Gatica, who has worked with Bublé and Celine Dion, the first of a number of heavyweight music business svengalis who have committed to steering Il Volo to global domination, from Geffen's Jimmy Iovine, who helped launch Lady Gaga, to longtime Madonna publicist Liz Rosenburg and heavy metal management legend Steve Leber, who came out of retirement to assist Torpedine on the current US tour after he saw Il Volo sing at a Florida wedding.

It is the group's youth, says the dream team, which gives it the edge over Il Divo, the other pop-opera group invented by Simon Cowell in 2003, while their genuine vocal skills can grab the attention of teens reared on TV talent shows.

Promotion in the US focused on TV, combined with a "real tough grind" of appearances at parties attended by industry bigwigs, said Leber. Accompanied on tour by parents, the group is now learning to sing in Chinese, after songs sung in Spanish helped to earn them Latin Grammy nominations.

One market where superstardom may be elusive is Italy. "Three kids singing O Sole Mio is not groundbreaking here," admitted a spokeswoman. After performing the standard, moaned one Italian blogger, "they might as well have performed in front of a plate of spaghetti and talked like they do in The Sopranos."

But Leber said the group went far beyond stereotypes: "One word: charisma. People want to touch them. They are not what I call a turntable act, it's all about great live performances. And that is how you build the foundations of a supergroup."

**They are singing in Chinese?? I need to hear it!! :)

Source: The Guardian